PAULA CREAMER
Birthdate: August 5, 1986
Birth Place: Mountain View, Calif.
Age: 22 - Ht.: 5’9"
Home: Pleasanton, Calif.
Turned Professional: 2004
Joined LPGA Tour: 2005
LPGA Tour Victories: 8 - 2005 Sybase Classic presented by Lincoln Mercury, Evian Masters. 2007 SBS Open at Turtle Bay, The Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions. 2008 Fields Open in Hawaii, SemGroup Championship presented by John Q. Hammons, Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger, Samsung World Championship.
LPGA Awards (1): 2005 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year. The Solheim Cup (2): 2005, 2007.
Player Notes:
Started playing golf at the age of 10. Credits Larry O’Leary, the late Ernie Barbour, David Kern, Jonathon Hughes, Ian Segneri and especially David Whelan and her mother and father as the individuals most influencing her career. Creamer was the top-ranked amateur in 2003 and 2004 and was named the 2003 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) player of the year. In 2003 and 2004, she was a semifinalist at both the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. She won a total of 11 AJGA tournaments, including the 2003 AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic. Creamer was a member of the victorious 2004 USA Curtis Cup Team and represented the United States at the 2002 and 2003 PING Junior Solheim Cup matches. As an amateur, she played in 10 LPGA events from 2003-04 and posted five top-20 finishes. She posted her top LPGA finish at the 2004 ShopRite LPGA Classic, where she finished one shot behind champion Cristie Kerr. Her additional top finishes in LPGA competition include a tie for 13th at the U.S. Women’s Open (tied for low amateur honors); 13th at the Wegmans Rochester LPGA presented by Lincoln Mercury; tied for 18th at the BMO Financial Group Canadian Women’s Open; and 18th at the Wendy’s Championship for Children.
* In 2008, won the Fields Open in Hawaii, SemGroup Championship presented by John Q. Hammons, Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger, and the Samsung World Championship; Posted a career-low 60 in the first round of the Jamie Farr Owens Cornding Classic presented by Kroger, which was a tournament record; is the fastest player in LPGA history to cross both the $4 million mark in career earnings at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay (77 events; 2 years, 11 months, 22 days), where she tied for 12th; and the $5 million mark in career earnings at the U.S. Women’s Open (90 events; 3 years, 4 months, 22 days), where she tied for sixth; carded 10 additional top-10 finishes.
* In 2007, recorded two wins at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay and The Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions, where she carded a season-low 65 in the second round by finishing with seven straight birdies; crossed the $3 million mark in career earnings at the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, becoming the fastest player in LPGA history to reach that milestone at 2 years, 2 months, 19 days; also turned in 11 top-10 finishes; was one of four players at the 2007 Solheim Cup to compete in all five matches, where she posted a 2-0-3 record to earn the most points for the victorious U.S. Team.
* In 2006, recorded 14 top-10 finishes, including a season-best tie for second at The Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions presented by Kathy Ireland Worldwide, where she tied her career-low 64 in the opening round; crossed the $2 million mark in career earnings at the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship; crossed the $1 million mark in season earnings for the second consecutive season to set an LPGA record for the most money earned in a season without a victory with $1,076,163.
* In 2005, just four days before graduating from high school, she made a 17-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the Sybase Classic presented by Lincoln Mercury and become the youngest winner of a multi-round event in LPGA history at the age of 18 years, 9 months and 17 days; two months later, won the Evian Masters by eight shots to become the youngest (18 years, 11 months and 18 days) and fastest (4 months, 27 days) player to reach $1 million in career earnings; became the first LPGA Tour rookie and youngest player ever to qualify for The Solheim Cup, finishing eighth in the U.S. point standings after only one season in which to earn points; Creamer went 3-1-1, earning the most points for the victorious U.S. Team, and in her singles match against Laura Davies, which she won 7&5, set the record for most birdies (7) and best front-nine score (30); with her tie for second at the Wendy’s Championship for Children, one of four runner-up finishes, she clinched Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors, even with four events remaining in which to earn points; finished the rookie race 664 points ahead of Meena Lee, her closest competitor; set an LPGA record for most money earned by a rookie at $1,531,780, breaking Karrie Webb’s 1996 mark of $1,002,000 (record was broken by Julieta Granada in 2006); carded a career-low 64 during the final round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic presented by Kroger; finished the season tied for first in putts per greens in regulation (1.75); won the NEC Karuizawa and the Masters GC Ladies, events on the LPGA of Japan.
* In 2004, as an amateur, won the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament by five shots to earn exempt status for the 2005 LPGA Tour season; turned professional immediately following the final round.
2003 LPGA Tour Summary: Tournaments entered -3; Rounds Played - 10; In Money - 2; Top-10 Finishes - 0; Scoring Average - 74.80; Money - $0.00; Best Finish - T-67th at the Wegmans LPGA
2004 LPGA Tour Summary: Tournaments entered -7; Rounds Played - 26; In Money - 7; Top-10 Finishes - 1; Scoring Average - 71.42; Money - $0.00; Best Finish - T-2nd at the ShopRite LPGA Classic
2005 LPGA Tour Summary: Tournaments entered -25; Rounds Played - 85; In Money - 23; Top-10 Finishes - 11; Scoring Average - 70.98 Rank (3rd); Money - $1,531,780.00 Rank (2nd); Best Finish - Win at the Sybase Classic and Evian Ladies Masters
2006 LPGA Tour Summary: Tournaments entered -27; Rounds Played - 95; In Money - 27; Top-10 Finishes - 14; Scoring Average - 70.62 Rank (6th); Money - $1,076,163.00 Rank (11th); Best Finish - T-2nd at the Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions
2007 LPGA Tour Summary: Tournaments entered -24; Rounds Played - 84; In Money - 22; Top-10 Finishes - 13; Scoring Average - 70.50 Rank (2nd); Money - $1,384,798.00 Rank (3rd); Best Finish - Win at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay and Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions
2008 LPGA Tour Summary: Tournaments entered -26; Rounds Played - 99; In Money - 26; Top-10 Finishes - 15; Scoring Average - 70.56 Rank (3rd); Money - $1,823,992.00 Rank (2nd); Best Finish - Win at the Fields Open in Hawaii,SemGroup Championship,Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic and Samsung World Championship
